John Landis

Though not nearly a household name like contemporary filmmakers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, writer-director-occasional actor John Landis became one of the more important Hollywood filmmakers to...
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Director John Landis is planning to release Michael Jackson's Thriller music promo in 3D next year (15) after settling a legal battle with the late entertainer's estate. Landis, who directed the 14-minute video, battled Jackson's executors over money he was allegedly owed for his work on the iconic film, but both parties reached a confidential settlement in 2012.
Now the legal fight is over, Landis plans to revamp the 1983 short and re-release it 2015. He is in talks to show it in cinemas and release it on DVD.
Landis tells the New York Daily News, "That lawsuit went on for so many years, (but) we settled and they paid me finally... And so, actually there is something happening with Thriller.
"It is going to reappear in a highly polished and three-dimensional way that is very exciting on the big screen... I cannot tell you any more... I might have to kill you."
Paperwork obtained from the Jackson estate shows many other projects are in development including Internet games, a film, a documentary and a Broadway play about the singer's life.
Jackson died in 2009, aged 50.

Columbia Pictures via Everett Collection
We're of the mentality that you should never write off a project on concept alone. Who'd have thought that some of this past Oscar season's best material would include a guy falling in love with his smartphone, Will Forte dragging an old man around the American Midwest, or a woman floating aimlessly around in space? So we're really trying to find the hope in your plans for Ghostbusters 3, Dan Aykroyd, but it's not a good sign when even Max Landis, the son of your longtime pal and frequent collaborator John Landis, is turning down the opportunity to direct.
Rumors began circulating that li'l Max, writer of Chronicle and Daniel Radcliffe's upcoming Frankenstein picture, was attached to helm Aykroyd's widely lamented attempt at a third go. But the heir to the Landis throne denied these reports on Twitter (via Cinemablend), citing an already stocked foreseeable future: "Zero truth to the Ghostbusters report," he said on Tuesday. "Frankenstein, Me Him Her, American Ultra and Mr. Right come out next year. Working on things at Uni and Sony, and indies. GB3, sadly, no."
This must be a letdown for Akyroyd, who must have really been banking on the "But your pa and I did Blues Brothers together! We made history!" speech to take weight. But it's not like the man doesn't have plenty of other pals with up-and-coming offspring to take the reins on this new project. Jason Reitman's got to be looking for a way to make up for Labor Day, right?
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AP Photo/Dan Steinberg
World of Warcraft is an MMORFG (for those non-nerds, that a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) that's been raking in the cash for video game company Blizzard for years, and courting many a potential movie deal. So far, Blizzard has demonstrated some good judgment, refusing to sell their Warcraft rights to Uwe Boll in 2008, when he was keen on adding the title to his long list of terrible video game adaptations. But it's five years later, Boll has moved on to other, no doubt crazier things, and now Legendary Pictures has made a deal with Blizzard to go forward with a movie version of one of their most valued properties. Though director Duncan Jones has been connected for some time, actors Colin Farrell, Paula Patton, Paul Dano, Anton Yelchin, Anson Mount, and Travis Fimmel were just announced via Deadline to be potential cast members. If you saw these names in a list, there'd be no way your first guess would be "cast of the new World of Warcraft adaptation," yet, here we are. It's a mix of bona fide stars, electic indie standbys, TV hunks, and, at the head of it all, a director who made two great, small movies (Moon and Source Code) about moral dilemmas and the effects of technology — a far cry from the elf and goblin set. Is there any way to make sense of these people being connected to this project?
Let's play Six Degrees of the Cast of the New World of Warcraft Movie and try to find out.
So there's Colin Farrell, the biggest name and thus probably the biggest or best part on display here. He's European, which is all that's required for anyone in Hollywood fantasy films. He's got some great movies (In Bruges) and some terrible ones (S.W.A.T., Alexander) under his belt, so no indication of quality there.
Then there's his costar in the underrated but still pretty bad Fright Night, Anton Yelchin. Yelchin will probably play second fiddle to Farrell, as the Frodo to his Aragorn. Yelchin does have some nerd cred, playing the current iteration of Chekov in Star Trek, but seems to prefer indie films like the much smaller Like Crazy.
One of the current kings of the indie scene is Paul Dano, whose small turns in bigger films and big turns in smaller films have made him a reliable "weird guy" for Hollywood. Maybe he'll be playing a wizard of some kind.
We start to head into the wilderness with the addition of Anson Mount and Travis Fimmel, who are both hunky TV stars on History Channel shows. Not much more to say than that, other than they should hope that one has to dye his hair bright pink or put on green makeup so we can tell them apart.
Then you have Paula Patton, floundering around by herself in the land of unendearing romantic comedies and being married to the song of the summer guy. There's no rhyme or reason to why Patton was pursued for this, but we can think of one reason why she's be eagar to accept: Angelina Jolie, who once was the star of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, one of the less horrible video game adapations, went on to become an Oscar winner and all-around A-Lister and good person. Maybe Patton believes she's destined to the same.
Does that clear things up at all?
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OK, it has been almost thirty years since John Landis' cult-favorite comedy Spies Like Us debuted in theaters, and it's time to make either a sequel or a remake. First thing the execs need to look at is the over $60 million the comedy made way back in 1985. Double that for today's grosses and those are the kind of numbers that Hollywood bean counters love. Dan Aykroyd has hovered on the Hollywood radar with constant rumors of a Ghostbusters 3 movie that has never come to pass. Family Guy scored with their tribute to the '85 film in their episode “Spies Reminiscent of Us” with both Aykroyd and Chevy Chase lending their vocal talents. And it was a funny episode, leaving those fans of the '85 original starved for more.
Since Landis seems to be sticking to directing TV these days, why not tap his son Max to call the shots on a new installment? He wrote last year's Chronicle, proving that talent does indeed run in the family. I think that a “Son of Spies Like Us” may be a good angle to take with the project since the thirty-year anniversary of the original is coming up faster than you can say GL-G20. With Chevy's Community cred and Aykroyd's fan-friendly attitude, now is the time to get a Spies Like Us sequel off the ground.
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If you've watched TV in southern California for more than five minutes since the 1950s, you've probably seen one of Cal Worthington's ads. The Oklahoma-born car salesman, who died on Sunday, September 8, at 92, was a staple of the southern California airwaves.
His motor-mouthed pitches, combined with a total earworm of a jingle ("Go see Cal, go see Cal, go see Cal!") and the recurring gag of a wide variety of wild animals -- from a tiger to Shamu the killer whale -- that he introduced as "my dog Spot," became so ingrained in the local culture that he became something of a meme. Worthington's commercials appeared in movies ranging from Jack Lemmon's midlife crisis drama Save the Tiger to the John Landis caper Into the Night, and crop up in Thomas Pynchon's early '70s detective-novel pastiche Inherent Vice, now being filmed by Paul Thomas Anderson. With his signature white cowboy hat and genial good-ol'-boy demeanor, he even appeared several times on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show in the 1970s and '80s. How many local TV commercial pitchmen could say that?
For one of his most famous ads, Cal — a WWII pilot who kept flying after the war — strapped himself standing upright onto the wing of a vintage biplane which then flew upside down: that insane stunt was so popular that footage from that 1960s ad was still being used in commercials two decades later.
Though Worthington stopped doing the "My Dog Spot" ads in the 1980s, his more recent ads still used nostalgic clips from them. Remember, camels are always a guaranteed laugh.
So are sea lions. (You can tell it's a sea lion and not a seal because it has ears.) Also: holy crap, 1980s cars were ugly.
And finally, if you really want to get that insidious jingle wedged into your head, check out this full-length version set to various clips from vintage Cal commercials. By the way, many folks claim that they've always heard the "Go see Cal!" hook as "pussycow." I think they just like saying "pussycow." Can't really blame 'em for that. Pussycow! [Ed. note: it even inspired a raucous and popular L.A. band!]
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As we gear up for the latest Pixar installation, Monsters University, we recall our own experiences on the college campus. Game-changing parties, vengeful deans, life-affirming frat hijinks. And since none of those things actually happened in real life, we soon come to the realization that we're actually thinking about Animal House. yes, the John Landis comedy that set the precedent for all college films thereafter... Monsters University included. Even though it's a children's movie, the Monsters, Inc. sequel takes a few pages from the Delta House book, churning out a very similar story indeed.
But Monsters University isn't the only Pixar flick to remind us of another classic live-action feature. With movies ranging from sweeping science-fiction (WALL-E) to road trip movies (Finding Nemo) to stories of artistic self-discovery (Ratatouille), Pixar touches upon enough genres to boast similarities to some of the greatest films in cinema history. Check out our gallery to see which movies lent particular inspiration to the animated tour de force that is Pixar.
Pixar Movies and Their Non-Pixar Equivalents
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Visual effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen has died at the age of 92. The filmmaker passed away in London on Tuesday (07May13).
A statement issued by his relatives reads: "The Harryhausen family regret to announce the death of Ray Harryhausen, Visual Effects pioneer and stop-motion model animator.
"Ray's influence on today's film makers was enormous... Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Peter Jackson, George Lucas, John Landis and the UK's own Nick Park have cited Harryhausen as being the man whose work inspired their own creations...
"Harryhausen's genius was in being able to bring his models alive. Whether they were prehistoric dinosaurs or mythological creatures, in Ray's hands they were no longer puppets but became instead characters in their own right, just as important as the actors they played against and in most cases even more so."
Inspired by the work of Willis O'Brien in King Kong, Harryhausen embarked on a career in filmmaking in the 1930s with his childhood pal, writer Ray Bradbury.
He had to put his Hollywood dreams on hold temporarily during World War II, during which he served in the U.S. Army's Special Services Division. He landed his first major job as an assistant animator to O'Brien for 1949's Mighty Joe Young, which won the Academy Award for Best Special Effects.
He went on to make his first colour film, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, in 1958, using his own brand of stop-motion model animation, named Dynamation, which revolutionised the industry.
His filmography also included The Three Worlds of Gulliver, Mysterious Island and his final work, Clash of the Titans in 1981, but he will perhaps be best remembered for the animation he created for 1963's Jason and the Argonauts and his work on a key fight scene between three actors and seven 'living' skeletons - a sequence which took Harryhausen a reported four months to complete.
He won a multitude of accolades throughout his lengthy career, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and an honorary Oscar, and he has widely been credited as the inspiration for a slew of top Hollywood filmmakers, including Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, who once claimed, "Without Ray Harryhausen, there would likely have been no Star Wars."

To many people, gore is a four-letter word. Well, technically it’s a four-letter word no matter who you are. But to some, the sight of ghastly explicit violence is enough to deter from a movie altogether — although it shouldn't. Tolerance for shocking imagery is obviously going to vary by the individual, but the danger here is in the labeling of all gore effects with the negative connotations of exploitation or schlock.
The fact of the matter is, that there is a brilliant artistry behind practical gore effects. Often, the artists responsible are working within such limited means as to make the fruits of their labor all the more impressive in their grisly ingenuity. As we gear up for the Evil Dead remake, the goriest studio release in recent memory, it's high time we zeroed in on some of the gooiest, grossest, and indeed most beautiful gore effects in movies:
Regarding Henrietta — Evil Dead 2
It seems fitting to start this list with a look back at Evil Dead franchise past. The first film was an absolute experiment, a student film in many ways. Evil Dead 2 had roughly 10 times the budget of its predecessor, yet it was still a low-budget horror outing requiring innovative practical effects work. Direct Sam Raimi shot the film inside a high school gymnasium, for crying out loud.
Luckily, the burgeoning team of Robert Kurtzman, Greg Nicotero, and Howard Berger (who would later form KNB Effects of, most recently, The Walking Dead and Oz The Great and Powerful) was up to the task. In this scene, the long-dead wife of the original occupant of that fateful cabin in the woods returns with a vengeance, her possessed corpse never having been properly dismembered. Latex body suits, wire rigs, plenty of fake blood, and even stop-motion animation similar to that of Ray Harryhausen are all employed to bring this manic monster battle to life.
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Bad Moon Rising — An American Werewolf in London
The favoritism shown here to practical effects isn’t meant as a slight against digital artists, nor is it a curmudgeonly refusal to acknowledge the changing times. The fact of the matter is that practical effects wizards ply their trade without the limitless assistance of computer programs.
Case in point, the iconic transformation scene in John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London. Over six days, working 18 hours each day, Rick Baker crafted one of the most dazzling and brutal man-to-werewolf transitions ever captured on film. The soothing music nicely offsets the viscerally upsetting symphony of makeup, prosthetics, and animatronics. Baker won an Oscar for his efforts; he was the inaugural recipient of the Best Makeup Award. Say what you will about horror movies, but they had to invent an Oscar category to adequately commend Baker’s artistry.
The Ultimate Headache — Scanners
Many of David Cronenberg’s films have been collected under the banner of “body horror.” They often involve some sort of extreme trauma to or horrific transmutation of the physical form of the characters involved. In Scanners, a group of individuals develops powerful psychic abilities, some of whom use their powers for violence.
During the opening of the film, which has become horror canon, one unfortunate scanner finds out just how vicious his more nefarious brethren can be. There are instances in which, were you to slow down a scene involving a practical effect, the seams become unfortunately visible. However, the exploding head created by effects legend Dick Smith, who also worked on The Godfather and The Exorcist, is just as remarkable when viewed frame by frame, the jubilant burst of fabricated viscera every bit as spectacularly lifelike.
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Any THING and Every THING — The Thing
Rob Bottin may not be a name readily on the lips of every film fan, but anyone with an appreciation for magnificent gore effects should genuflect when they hear it. In John Carpenter’s The Thing, Bottin created not one, but an entire cavalcade of gorgeously macabre iterations of the film’s antagonistic shape-shifting creature from another world. The breadth of his work in The Thing is so astonishing that it made choosing just one scene from the movie to highlight very difficult, between the results of the blood test, the slimy craftsmanship of the alien autopsy, and, of course, the man-eating chest cavity. Few films can match the bounty and sustained quality of effects of this gruesome classic.
He Told Them Not To Look — Raiders of the Lost Ark
So horror’s just not your bag, and you can’t be convinced to watch any of the aforementioned classic titles. Surely you’ve seen Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, the landmark first entry in the Indiana Jones franchise. During the film’s climax, the foolish Nazis disregard Indy’s advice and open the Ark of the Covenant. The result is an astounding light show that concludes with the melting faces of the commanding officers. Talk about working with what you’ve got, these deaths were apparently created using a vacuum, a heat gun with time-lapsed photography, and a garden-variety shotgun. It is one of the more disturbing images in any PG film and, beautiful as they are, it was the presence of these effects that nearly saddled Raiders of the Lost Ark with an R-rating.
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[Photo Credit: Renaissance Pictures]
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Already a month into 2013, some of us might be taking issue with the year’s deficit of opportunity for pop culture showdowns. Following a particularly fruitful autumn — one drenched in battles of political (Elephants Vs. Donkeys and Pizza Vs. Burritos), athletic (Tigers Vs. Giants), and fantastical (Edwards Vs. Jacobs and Trolls Vs. Dwarves) natures — the New Year has propagated quite a civil attitude on the pop culture front… save for an inceptive Babies Vs. Old Men mêlée. And while we saw a good deal of historic events hit the headlines in January — like presidential inaugurations and 30 Rock finales — we’ve yet to stumble upon a marvel worthy of showdown status. But fear not, you desensitized combat junkies, for the biggest face-off of the year is on the horizon: the Super Bowl.
Yes, the Super Bowl. A ratings giant so stimulating in its fury, it is reported to be the leading cause of larynx irritation (next to supermarket parking lots). Responsible for undoing the work of marriage counselors nationwide, the Super Bowl is the perfect new subject for our Pop Culture Battles series. Unfortunately, the teams playing this year are the Ravens and the 49ers. And what the hell are we supposed to do with “49ers”?
But there is another route. For, the true rivalry this year will transpire on the sidelines, as Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh and San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh are, indeed, brothers. And what is the only category of human bearing more animosity than opposing team coaches? Siblings.
As such, thanks to the wonder of Super Bowl XLVII, we dive with vigor into what might be our most heated battle yet — Johns Vs. Jims. Place your bets, order your hot wings, crack open your beers. It’s going to be a long, commercial-filled skirmish.
And yes, we know. This is ridiculous.
FIRST HALF
The Superman Play: Jonathan Kent Vs. Jimmy Olsen
Coaching for the Johns: Jonathan Kent, Clark’s Kansas-native adoptive father
His Playbook: Filled with old school sensibilities, life lessons, and several diatribes devoted to the importance of maintaining a strong jaw
Coaching for the Jims: Jimmy Olsen, nubile photographer for The Daily Planet
His Playbook: Filled with an overeager attitude and a perpetual smile, but an almost nonsexistent focus on actual skills of any kind
The Winner: Jonathan Kent. Dude's got class. (1/0)
The Ordinary Hero Play: John Ferguson Vs. Jimmy Stewart
Coaching for the Johns: John “Scottie” Ferguson, Jimmy Stewart’s fear-stricken hero in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo
His Playbook: Filled with one rule, over and over — avoid high places.
Coaching for the Jims: Actual Jimmy Stewart.
His Playbook: Filled with admittedly far-fetched ambitions to bestow unto his loved ones natural lunar satellites.
(Warning: the below clip WILL make you cry.)
The Winner: Real Jimmy Stewart. Tell me that clip didn't make you burst out in tears. (1/1)
The Belushi Play: John Belushi Vs. Jim Belushi
Coaching for the Johns: John Belushi, film and sketch comedy icon
His Playbook: Filled with memorable SNL skits, John Landis movies, and some sordid personal affairs
Coaching for the Jims: Jim Belushi, television presence
His Playbook: Filled with canned laughter and some wacky neighbors
The Winner: John Belushi... naturally. (2/1)
The Room Play: The John Vs. The Gym
Coaching for the Johns: The john. The lavatory, the restroom, the W.C. — you get the picture.
Its Playbook: Let’s just gloss over this one.
Coaching for the Jims: The gym — the sole source of self-worth for a large percentage of the United States' North Atlantic region.
Its Playbook: Filled with repeated mandates to wipe down equipment after using it.
The Winner: The gym, if only for its prevalence in reality television culture. (2/2)
SECOND HALF
(The second half of our Pop Culture Super Bowl consists of a series of plays that, through the grace of Beyoncé, can be perfectly executed via single videos illustrating the rival coaches’ showdowns.)
The Poli-Economic Play: Jon Stewart Vs. Jim Cramer
Coaching for the Johns: The Daily Show host Jon Stewart
His Playbook: Filled to the brim with dry wit, a sharp understanding of the political machine and its enslaved media, and that New Jersey wrath
Coaching for the Jims: Mad Money host Jim Cramer
His Playbook: Filled with incriminating sound bites, and a bunch of rubber hammers…
The Winner: Jon Stewart... and Mr. Stewart, we thank you for that. (3/2)
The Big Bang Theory Play: Johnny Galecki Vs. Jim Parsons
Coaching for the Johns: Johnny Galecki, portrayer of Leonard Hofstadt on The Big Bang Theory
His Playbook: Filled with anxious grimaces and pleas for romantic attention from the neighbor girl
Coaching for the Jims: Jim Parsons, portrayer of Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory
His Playbook: Filled with deadpan delivery and, somehow, a whole bunch of Emmys
The Winner: Jim Parsons. You can't argue with Emmys (well, you can, but it's futile). (3/3)
The Greendale Community College Play: Jim Rash Vs. John Goodman
Coaching for the Johns: John Goodman’s Community character, Vice Dean Robert Laybourne
His Playbook: Filled with a thespian articulation, a hyper-menacing presence, and a passion for air conditioner repair
Coaching for the Jims: Jim Rash’s Community character, Dean Craig Pelton
His Playbook: Filled with costumes. Lots and lots of costumes.
The Winner: Jim Rash. Goodman may have won the battle, but Rash came out on top in the end. (3/4)
The Lost Play: John Locke Vs. Jim LaFleur
Coaching for the Johns: John Locke, recovering paraplegic and spiritual know-it-all
His Playbook: Filled with requests for his players to “believe in the island”
Coaching for the Jims: Jim LaFleur, a.k.a. James Ford, a.k.a. Sawyer
His Playbook: Filled with pejorative nicknames and romance novels
The Winner: Good ol' Saywer. Because that's a chin you can get behind. (3/5)
And so, the victory goes to the Jims. Does this mean that the 49ers will take the Super Bowl this year? Almost definitely — these battles are cold, hard science. Sorry, Baltimore. At least you have The Wire.
Note: We would like to extend an apology to all the Johns and Jims we wanted to include in this Pop Culture Super Bowl, but couldn't due to time constraints: Jim Davis, John Williams, John Lennon, Jim Carrey, Jon Hamm, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Buffett, Jimmy Kimmel, Johnny Cash, John McCain, Jimmy Carter, John Carter (of Mars), Jim O'Heir, Jim Halpert, John Hodgman, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Depp, Johnny 5, John F. Kennedy, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, John the Baptist, Jimmy the Greek, Jon Voigt, Jon Bon Jovi, Jim Gaffigan, Jim Caviezel, and John Laroquette. We love must of you.
[Photo Credit: Getty]
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Paramount Pictures (in a co-production with MGM) brings to the big screen (in 3,372 theaters) an amped up version of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters in both 3-D and IMAX this weekend. The films stars The Hurt Locker’s Jeremy Renner as Hansel and Gemma Arterton (The Prince of Persia) as Gretel in this R-rated and decidedly updated take on the classic tale. At a mere 88 minutes the film blends action, horror &amp; fantasy into a very unusual hybrid of a movie that could obliterate the competition this weekend with a gross in the mid-$20 millions or possibly higher.
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Sony’s Zero Dark Thirty will enter its third weekend of wide release (in 2,929 theaters) with tons of momentum and a Time Magazine cover story on the movie and director Kathryn Bigelow. Having played second fiddle to the newly opened (and hugely successful) horror film Mama in the mid-week derby, could the R-rated real life story of the manhunt of Osama Bin Laden could give Mama a kick in the butt this weekend? With both expected to deliver grosses in the $10 million range, we shall see.
Relativity Media brings Movie 43 to theaters this weekend with an enormous ensemble cast that includes among many others, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Emma Stone, Chloë Grace Moretz, Gerard Butler, Elizabeth Banks, Kristen Bell and Naomi Watts. The movie uses the novel approach of having 12 different storylines, each one helmed by a different director and is reminiscent of The Kentucky Fried Movie released in 1977 and directed by John Landis. The film is a bit of a wild card given its unusual construction, but this could play well with younger audiences this weekend and a gross in the $8 to $12 million range could be the result.
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Jason Statham is perhaps the hardest working man in show business with some 30 films to his credit and over $2 billion in worldwide box office revenues. He appeared in 5 films in 2011 and 5 in 2008 as well, building a reputation as a kick ass action star with a no-nonsense approach and a wry sense of humor. This weekend he appears in Film District’s Parker in the titular role as a professional thief who has a very strict code of ethics. The film co-stars Jennifer Lopez as his unlikely partner in crime, Michael Chiklis and Nick Nolte. Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman, Ray) directs the R-rated thriller based on the series of bestselling novels by Donald E. Westlake. Statham’s last non-ensemble movie Safe opened with $7.9 million back in April of 2012 and The Mechanic which opened in a similar late-January timeframe in 2011 debuted with $11.4 million. Parker should wind up somewhere between those two films with a possible $9 million this weekend.
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Last weekend The Weinstein Co.’s awards season darling Silver Linings Playbook added 1,713 theaters and jumped from 10th to third placed in the process. Maintaining its solid third place position mid-week, it will likely see a modest drop this weekend for a gross in the $8 million range and crossing the $60 million mark by Sunday night.
[IMAGE CREDIT: Universal Pictures; Film District; Paramount Pictures]
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Title

Made feature debut at age 18, working uncredited as a production assistant on "Kelly's Heroes"

Executive produced the first season of Fox's Sci-fi series "Sliders"

Made producing debut with "Twilight Zone: The Movie"; also directed the opening teaser and first segment of the film, which is known for the Helicopter crash which took the lives of actor Vic Morrow and two child actors

Formed St. Clare Entertainment with Robert Weiss and Leslie Belzberg to produce TV series, telefilms and miniseries

Replaced Jack Shoulder as the director of the horror film "Innocent Blood"

Co-wrote and directed "The Blues Brothers"; at the time was the most expensive - and subsequently the highest-grossing - comedy feature ever made; first collaboration with Dan Aykroyd who co-starred with Belushi and co-wrote with Landis

Guest starred as himself in an episode of the NBC sitcom "Caroline in the City"

Returned to direct "Blues Brothers 2000"

Directed the feature "Into the Night" and the accompanying documentary "B.B. King 'Into the Night'"

Re-teamed with Dan Aykroyd, who co-wrote and co-starred, for the comedy "Spies Like Us"

Summary

Though not nearly a household name like contemporary filmmakers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, writer-director-occasional actor John Landis became one of the more important Hollywood filmmakers to come into prominence in the late 1970s. Enormously successful and influential, particularly because of the first half of his career, Landis directed some of the seminal comedies of the century, including "The Kentucky Fried Movie" (1977) and the college favorite "National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978). Following the huge success of "Animal House," which spawned new generations of fans throughout the years, Landis scored another big hit with "The Blues Brothers" (1980), marking a high point in his career, which he followed with the cult classic "An American Werewolf in London" (1981). Accused of being responsible for an unspeakable tragedy following the deaths of three actors, including Vic Morrow, on the set of "The Twilight Zone - The Movie" (1983), Landis hit a career skid that saw few highlights - only "Trading Places" (1983) and "Coming to America" (1988) being worthy of any note. Though he directed Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (1983), widely considered to be the best music video ever made, and later Jackson's "Black or White" (1991), one of the most-watched videos of all time, Landis was unable to resuscitate his feature career, even when trying to recapture old magic with "Blues Brothers 2000" (1998). Still, Landis remained an influential filmmaker, if only because of past glories.

Name

Role

Comments

Shirley Levine

Mother

Walter Levine

Step-Father

Marshall Landis

Father

Rachel Landis

Daughter

Born in June 1982; mother, Deborah Nadoolman

Max Landis

Son

Born in August 1985; mother, Deborah Nadoolman; co-wrote "Deer Woman," an episode of "Masters of Horror" in 2005

Deborah Nadoolman

Wife

Married Landis on July 27, 1980; designed the costumes for several of her husband's films including "The Kentucky Fried Movie" (1977), "The Blues Brothers" (1980) and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981"; was nominated for an Academy Award for Landis' "Coming to America" (1988) and has served as president of the Costume Designers Guild

Education

Name

Notes

Landis received the Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French government in 1985.

On July 23, 1982 during the filming of Twilight Zone, actor Vic Morrow and child extras Myca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Yi Chen were killed in an accident involving an out of control helicopter. Landis was charged with involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment (along with his associate producer, unit production manager, helicopter pilot and special effects supervisor); Pyrotechnic explosions caused the low-flying helicopter to spin out of control and crash. The rotor blade decapitated Morrow and Le; Chen was crushed by the helicopter's skid; all plead not guilty and were acquitted after a year-long trial. Landis was later reprimanded for circumventing the State of California's child labor laws in hiring the two children killed in the accident. This tragedy resulted in stricter safety measures and enforcement of child labor laws, in the State of California. The parents of the children sued, and later settled out of court for $2 million per family. Vic Morrow's daughters, Carrie Morrow and actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, similarly pursued a lawsuit that settled for an undisclosed amount purportedly in the $800,000 range.

Affiliations

Member, Board of Directors, American Lung Association of Los Angeles County